The latest vintage of Australia’s grandest wine was overshadowed by the outstanding quality of the rest of the latest releases in the annual Penfolds Collection launch, says Ken Gargett.
As ever, the impending annual release of the Penfolds Collection promotes endless speculation. Questions abound: How will Grange perform? Will it dominate as it so often does? How many countries, how many vintages will be represented? Will we see the revival of old favorites? The release of new favorites? And what surprises will the renowned winemakers have in store for us?
This year, for the first time in many years, the release was to be held at the famous Kalimna Homestead in the Barossa Valley. The Kalimna Vineyard is the oldest-known Cabernet vineyard in the world, having first been planted with Cabernet Sauvignon in 1888. It was purchased by Penfolds in 1945.
Kalimna Shiraz was also an essential component of the wine often considered as Australia’s greatest ever: Penfolds Bin 60A 1962. Their Bin 28, now multi-regional, was originally solely from Shiraz from this vineyard and was called Kalimna Bin 28. Most recently, Kalimna has been the site of the legendary Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard, which featured as two of their special releases in 1996 and 2004. (Some may remember the release of a dozen ampoules of the 2004 Block 42 in 2012, for $168,000 each—they quickly sold out).
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It is a special year for Penfolds—its 180th anniversary. 180 years is an enormous achievement for any winery, perhaps especially for one from outside the traditional wine regions of Europe. Unlike today, when Penfolds was founded, winemakers could not hop on a call, email, text, or zoom if they wanted to contact their counterparts on the other side of the planet, nor could they visit by taking a plane ride, even a very long one.
Penfolds enjoys pointing out that at the time it was established, it would be 35 years before Edison began commercial production of the electric lightbulb, and ten years before any refrigeration system could produce ice. It could add that in 1844, Queen Victoria had been on the throne for less than a decade and that it would be four years before Karl Marx wrote The Communist Manifesto. It was the year that Alexander Dumas wrote The Three Musketeers. Livingstone had barely set foot in Africa and Charles Sturt was leading another expedition to find the center of Australia. (Of far more importance, to some of us at least, 1844 was the year in which the first-ever international cricket match was played, between the United States and Canada, of all places).
Today, Penfolds is unquestionably one of the world’s most important wine producers. This latest Penfolds Collection will only reinforce that. Over recent years, it has firmly entrenched its Chardonnay program and established Yattarna as one of the great white wines of Australia. It has a domestic portfolio that is unmatched, led by Australia’s most famous wine, Grange, and supported by not only other stars like Bin 707, Magill, RWT Bin 798 et al, but regular limited and special releases. It has formed an amazing joint venture with Thiénot to offer the market some stunning Champagnes. Its American and French portfolios are entrenched, and we are now seeing its wines from China.
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To celebrate all of this, we have a new wine—Bin 180—a magnificent blend of Coonawarra Cabernet and Shiraz from the great 2021 vintage.
Every year, it seems that vintage conditions somewhere, sometime, result in a wine or two falling from the Penfolds Collection. This year, however, they are all present and correct, including the most welcome return of Bin 51 Eden Valley Riesling. Overall, the general consensus seems to be that this is as good a Penfolds Collection as we have ever seen from Penfolds—at the very least, a contender. And it’s incredible to think that we have here wines from 2014 to 2024.
If there was an elephant in the room, it was neatly summed up by a colleague on the trip back to the airport: “Notice that there is one wine that no one is talking about?” We all knew immediately which he meant. While the latest Grange is undoubtedly a very fine wine, one that will cellar impressively for several decades, it does not seem destined to sit among the greats. There are more exciting wines in the release and, quite simply, we were so enamored of those that the Grange almost slipped through the cracks (not something one often hears).
Collectors of Grange, and those with deep pockets, should definitely seek their usual allocation—and they will be rewarded for doing so—but there are wines in the collection of even greater interest, especially with the new release of Bin 180 (whether this is through serendipity, or careful strategy on the part of the brand, I do not know. Either way, I am very grateful).
As for pricing, most wines remained unchanged from the previous release, while a few have moved up. Perhaps most notable was a fairly hefty rise for Yattarna, although in world terms, it surely remains a bargain.
Penfolds Collection Champagne
Thienot x Penfolds Avize Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2014 (A$280 / US$180 / £???)
Another very fine Champagne from this exciting joint venture—all 2014, all Chardonnay, and all Avize, from a single vineyard.
As it does with everything it touches, Penfolds has done everything possible to ensure that this program produces wines of the highest quality. For its sparkling wines, I think it safe to say that Peter Gago holds this in even higher esteem than its other projects. Peter is well-known for his love of great Champagne; he originally joined Penfolds as a sparkling maker. Disgorgement was in mid-2022 (June for magnums, July for standard bottles) and the wine saw no malolactic fermentation and no dosage. I spoke with Peter about the absence of any dosage, as I find that this style can lead to harder and more abrupt wines down the track, but he assured me that they had done extensive testing and that the best results were when they sacrificed any dosage. Time will tell.
A pale-lemon color, there is ripeness and richness to be found here, in keeping with the 2014 vintage. Hazelnut and honeycomb, a flick of the tropical, along with the citrus characters and a chalky backing. There are notes of orange rinds, even a touch of grilled bananas. Bright and vibrant, clean and fresh, good length and a firm finish. I would drink it over the next three to six years. | 94
Thienot x Penfolds Ay Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru 2014 (A$280 / US$180 / £???)
The fruit comes from the famous grand cru of Ay. The tiny vineyard, just 0.25ha (0.6 acre), which was planted back in the 1950s and ’60s, sits next to a rather special one from the Bollinger portfolio. 100% malolactic here and a dosage of 5.6g/l. Disgorgement was again mid-2022. If presented with a pair of Champagnes—one blanc de blancs and the other blanc de noir—it would be very rare for my personal preference to lean toward the latter. But this would be one of those rare occasions: a seriously exciting blanc de noir.
The richness here is very much to the front, but the ripe-fruit notes linger throughout. Brioche, toast, black-currant leaves, citrus, and raspberries. A gentle and soft fade, this should drink beautifully over the next four to eight years. | 95
Penfolds Collection Whites
Bin 51 Eden Valley Riesling 2024
(A$45 / US$30 / £30)
Early days… but this is the second-best Bin 51 I’ve seen, a whisker behind the legendary 2021. Reports indicate that 2024, as a vintage, will sit at least on a par with 2021 and 2022 and possibly even exceed them. Exiting times ahead, if this proves true.
This is beautifully aromatic, with a pale-lemon hue. The nose exhibits notes of citrus, especially grapefruit and lemon, florals, hints of talc and bath salts, ginger, with a chalky backing. Quite a vibrant and tart, lime- and grapefruit-pith character on the palate. There is a fine line of seabreeze acidity running the full journey and a lingering finish. Exemplary balance and an early mouthpuckering quality to it. Ten to 15 years without a hiccup in good cellars, possibly quite a bit longer. | 94
Bin 311 Chardonnay 2023
(A$55 / US$36 / £32)
Penfolds’ multi-regional Chardonnay blend incorporates fruit from Tasmania, Tumbarumba, and the Adelaide Hills, and this vintage, also from Henty in Victoria. Barrel-fermentation followed by maturation for eight months in French oak barriques, 21% new.
A yellow-straw hue, there is depth of flavor here, but an immediate note of oak, which is still integrating. The nose shows lemon-curd characters, with citrus, spices, cashews, honeycomb, and white peaches. There is good intensity on the palate, with soft acidity and fine balance. A wine of very good length. A very youthful Bin 311, which seems certain to be even more impressive in 12 months and could then be enjoyed for the following four to six years. Enjoyable, though quite a way to go to reach the level we see with Bin A and Yattarna, which is how it should be. That said, this is as good a Bin 311 as I can recall. | 92
Reserve Bin A Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2023 (A$125 / US$82 / £70)
We ended up looking at three different bottles of this wine, as the team from Penfolds wanted to make absolutely certain that it was showing as well as it can. It was an interesting exercise, as most of us felt that all three tasted well, albeit with very minor differences, showing that screwcaps are perhaps not all as identical as we think. The third bottle, however, did show a little better than the others. While Yattarna is always immaculate in every respect, Bin A can exhibit a wild side. This has been moderated in recent years, although there was a bit of a revival with the 2022. There are hints of it here, though not to the extent we used to see. Indeed, this might just be the Goldilocks vintage—not too formal and structured; not too exuberantly wild; just spot-on. It was the third bottle that best struck the perfect balance between the two.
As always, the fruit is entirely Adelaide Hills, with whole-bunch pressing. Partial wild fermentation and a mix of new and older French barriques for fermentation, with bâtonnage and 100% malolactic fermentation, followed by seven months maturation in those barriques, 60% new.
Straw in color, that slight restraint is evident from the first sniff, though there is just a hint of funk and struck match. Stone fruits, figs, spices, and a touch of the tropical. There is good concentration here, the intensity never wavering for the full journey on the palate, with good focus and energy. The textural aspects are undoubtedly a highlight. A very long future, at least seven to ten years, as this is a cracking Bin A. | 96
Yattarna Chardonnay 2022
(A$220 / US$144 / £135)
The 2021 was the best Yattarna I have tasted. Until now. This latest release is a truly stunning Chardonnay: world-class. It is at least the equal of the ’21—I think marginally better or will be in time. Sourced from the usual hodgepodge of vineyards from Tumbarumba, Tasmania, and the Adelaide Hills, with eight months maturation in French oak barriques, 44% new. Purists may argue that the multi-regional blending, which results in the loss of specific terroir, rules it out from elite status. Others will simply taste the wine and be blown away by its quality. Whether multi-regional wines like Grange and Yattarna can be considered as sitting alongside the world’s greatest is one of those subjects for endless debate and ultimately up to the individual. If, however, the decision came down purely to quality, there is no doubt.
This superb Chardonnay is so finely balanced, so refined, that the barest hint of nutmeg/cinnamon from the oak almost seems to disappear. The nose gives us notes of florals, citrus, spices, ginger, lemon butter, and glacé limes, with a line of seabreeze acidity. Beautifully structured, almost formal—the school prefect is back! They say that particular wines evoke certain music for us. As bizarre as it seems, one sip of this wine and I was singing to myself the Springsteen lines, “nuns run bald through Vatican halls, pregnant, pleading immaculate conception.” I have no idea why, but it seemed to match the wine. It finishes with a touch of honeycomb and a whiff of almonds. This wine is so deceptive—chockful of power and intensity and yet so elegant, with a lingering finish. Surely, 12 to 20 years ahead of it. I tossed up whether it should be 98 or 99, but then I realized that it will certainly demand the higher score in time. So, for now… | 98
Penfolds Collection Reds
France
FWT 585 Cabernet Sauvignon / Petit Verdot / Merlot 2021
(A$120 / US$80 / £70)
A blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Petit Verdot, and 8% Merlot, this is sourced from, as described by Penfolds, “Vin de France.” The wine spent a year maturing in a combination of French (32% new) and American oak hogsheads (9% new). For me, this is a step up on the 2019, suggesting the program is hitting its straps. Certainly, it is another positive step forward in the Penfolds program of world domination.
The color is a stunning, deep purple. The nose exhibits plums, vanilla, chocolate, dried raisins, mulberries, blueberries, delicatessen meats, and tobacco leaves. There are hints of quality oak, still in the process of integration. A supple and succulent palate, with an alluring texture and some real power. Fine but firm tannins, with bright acidity and excellent length. A wine absolutely bursting with flavor. Enjoy over the next 10 to 12 years. | 95
France and Australia
Penfolds II Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 (A$500 / US$330 / £260)
Just the wine you need for the next blind-tasting evening with friends. Penfolds has partnered with Dourthe in France, the individual components being made in the respective countries, before blending in the Barossa. This release is Cabernet Sauvignon, with the Shiraz and Merlot absent this vintage. The blend is 64% Bordeaux and 32% Coonawarra (yes, either the team at Penfolds needs to improve its maths or there is a mystery 4%).
Deep purple hue, the aromas swirl through chocolate, plums, coffee beans, bay leaves, blueberries and smoky bacon. Deep and brooding, there is good concentration of flavour and fruit, through to slightly drying tannins. The flavors build on the palate to a crescendo of chocolate, plums and mocha. The finish is very persistent. Enjoy this now and for the next eight to twelve years. | 96
California and Australia
Bin 149 Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 (A$275 / US$180 / £160)
The name was a nod to the fact that the first release saw a 14.9% contribution from South Australia, alongside the Napa Valley fruit. The name remains, though the proportions may vary. This is a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Cabernet Franc from Napa and South Australia. The wine matured for 16 months in a mix of French (72% new) and American (16% new) barriques.
The color here is a very dark magenta, while the nose offers notes of chocolate, dry herbs, bay leaves, soy, beef stock, cloves, licorice, cassis, hints of bergamot and tobacco leaves. There is a lovely plushness to the texture, with abundant, very soft and supple tannins and impressive length. This is seriously delicious. A wine of focus and good intensity, which offers the potential for great pleasure for the rest of this decade. | 94
California
Bin 704 Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 (A$125 / US$80 / £60)
Called 704, because it is the mirror to the Australian Cabernet, 407, this is a wine I’d take over “ours” any day. A Napa Valley Cabernet that spent 16 months in French oak barriques, 48% new.
There is good structure here, with notes of smoked meats, raspberries, licorice, cranberries, coffee grinds, and chocolate. The palate sees the flavors move more to the bright cherry-cola spectrum. Fine tannins and good energy here, a wine of medium length and gentle intensity at the finish. Will provide pleasure for three to six years. | 92
Bin 600 Cabernet Shiraz 2021
(A$90 / US$60 / £45)
The 2019 vintage of this wine was an absolute superstar of the range, drinking far above its price. I’m not sure that this release quite reaches those heights, but it certainly impresses again. A blend of 85% Cabernet and 15% Shiraz from the Napa Valley and Paso Robles, which spent 16 months in American oak barriques, 53% new.
An inky maroon color to this wine, with a dark purple rim. The nose offers plums, mulberries, blueberries, licorice, cloves, a cigar box character, and a smoky, cherry note. A hint of rhubarb. The oak is well-integrated but there is still a touch of cinnamon evident. Very attractive, this is a medium-weight style, with decent length with sleek tannins. Clean and fresh at the finish, this will drink beautifully for the next six to ten years. | 93
Howell Mountain 2021 (A$450 / US$293)
A blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Cabernet Franc from the Howell Mountain sub-region of the Napa. The wine spent 16 months maturing in new French oak barriques. This is a single-vineyard wine, something with which the Penfolds portfolio is not overburdened. For me, this was the clear superstar of this year’s release of the offshore reds. Brilliant stuff.
Dark crimson in color, there is a fine line of refinement and power. A wine that is seamless and seductive. Dry herbs, mocha, dark chocolate, aniseed, black fruits, soy, graphite, and beef-stock notes. Immaculately balanced, with extraordinary length, finesse, and persistence. A wine that offers great drinking for the next 12 to 20 years. Love this! | 97
China
CWT Cabernet Sauvignon Marselan 2022 (A$150 / US$100)
The WT concept continues: RWT for the red winemaking trial begun by Penfolds in the Barossa in the late 1990s; the more recent FWT, being the French winemaking trial, giving us some stellar wines; and now the CWT, the Chinese winemaking trial, providing us with this blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Marselan from the Shangri-La and Ningxia regions (who wouldn’t want to drink wine from Shangri-La?). There is some 1,900 miles (3,000km) between the two regions. The wine spent a year maturing in French (66% new) and American (17% new) oak hogsheads. Inevitably, the question was raised as to the possibility of a straight Marselan. The Penfolds team has considered this, but at the moment, its trials suggest that it is best used as a blending component.
A maroon hue. The nose gives us dried herbs, raspberries, bay leaves, and hints of tomato-bush notes. There is a lot of grip here, even though overall, the wine is a little more reticent than some. A softer palate but firmer tannins, if that makes any sense. The palate sees the emergence of cherry notes. A mid-length wine, pleasant, with three to five years drinking ahead of it. | 91
Australia
Bin 23 Pinot Noir 2022
(A$55 / US$36 / £33)
Over the years, Penfolds has moved from Adelaide Hills fruit, to Pinot Noir sourced from Tasmania. Maturation is in French oak barriques, 30% new.
Bright crimson in color. The aromas swirl through a range of dark cherries, raspberries, spices, herbs, violets, and a flick of undergrowth. At this stage, the flavors are very much to the fore, followed by a gentle fade. A delicious Pinot but lacking the length to be elite. Fine tannins provide an appealing silkiness. We are not told whether the wine includes any whole bunches, but it seems likely that it does. Now and for the next four or five years, the only disappointment being that the wine does not offer more length, given such a promising start. | 92
Bin 21 Grenache 2023
(A$60 / US$40 / £33)
While it released a Cellar Reserve Grenache in 2002 and has used the variety in blends for decades, it does seem that Penfolds is beginning to focus on Grenache more than it has in the past. Better late to the party than failing to show. Of course, no one doubts that, having turned its attention to the variety, Penfolds will be anything other than spectacularly successful with it . Bin 21, this vintage and last, confirms this. I like this wine a great deal.
A blend of fruit from the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, maturation is for ten months in a mix of French oak (11% new and 34% older) and older American hogsheads. A magenta hue, this is a delightfully seductive wine. We have notes of strawberries; gorgeous, ripe strawberries. Dried herbs, cherries, cloves, raspberries, icing sugar, and cream all combine to add to the complexity. There is a juicy palate, with impressive length and fine balance. Enjoy this over the next six to eight years. Bin 21 will quickly prove itself to be one of the range most worth keeping an eye upon. | 93
Bin 138 Barossa Valley Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2022 (A$60 / US$40 / £35)
I have loved this wine since it was first released with the 1992 vintage (it was elevated to Bin status with the 1998). This release is a blend of 47% Grenache, 43% Shiraz, and 10% Mataro (or Mourvedre, if you wear black turtlenecks and have an unfinished screenplay in your bottom drawer). Ten months in a mix of 90% French oak, 10% new, with the remaining 10% in older American oak hogsheads. For me, it comes very close to being the best released so far (although, for now, the 2021 still hangs on to that title).
A mauve color, with aromas of cherries, coffee beans, soy, warm earth, mocha, black olives, plums, spices, and red fruits. There is a chocolatey character there, very reminiscent of a Tim Tam biscuit. Serious length here, with the intensity maintained throughout. A cracking and quintessential, delicious Barossa red, with a great future, 20 years at least, if well cellared, and sure to improve over that time. The only disappointment about this wine is that I can no longer pick up a dozen at 20 bucks each, for the annual fishing trip. Those were the days. | 95
Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz 2022
(A$75 / US$49 / £43)
Shiraz was the grape variety that first put Coonawarra on the vinous map, and some of the most famous wines ever made here were made from it. These days, it is very much in the shadow of Cabernet, but this wine has been providing pleasure since its debut with the 1962 vintage. It has legions of fans, and deservedly so. Speaking to Peter Gago, Penfolds Chief Winemaker for many years, he had some very brief descriptions of recent Coonawarra vintages: 2021, great; 2022, greater; 2024, greatest (although very early days, of course). 2020 and 2023 were both described by the same word, perhaps better not quoted directly, but suffice to say that those years fall well short of their vintage neighbors. This 2022 vintage spent a year in French oak hogsheads, 30% of which were new, and it certainly lives up to Gago’s expectations of the vintage. The wine has not seen American oak since the 1980s.
Opaque maroon in color, this is coiled, with serious power waiting in the wings. The nose gives us notes of dried herbs, cassis, blackberries, mint, and cloves. Focus and energy here, with fine balance and slightly drying tannins. The palate sees the emergence of licorice, a little pastis, blueberries, and delicatessen meats. With a long and lingering finish, the wine has ten to 15 years ahead of it. | 94.
Bin 28 Shiraz 2022 (A$50 / US$33 / £30)
A wine with an even longer history than Bin 128, Bin 28 Shiraz dates back to1959. Back then, it was exclusively from the Kalimna vineyard. These days, the wine is not even all Barossa, let alone all from one vineyard. It hails from vineyards in McLaren Vale, Barossa, Wrattonbully, and Padthaway. The wine spent a year in American oak hogsheads. This release must surely sit with the very best of them.
Inky black and purple in color. We have notes of chocolate, cassis, blueberries, bergamot, aniseed, nutmeg, soy, a hint of orange rind, and cloves. This is balanced and concentrated, with a supple and seductive texture. The palate sees the emergence of coffee beans, black cherries, and hints of licorice. With fine balance and impressive length, this will drink beautifully for between 15 and 20 years. | 95
Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz 2022
(A$100 / US$66 / £60)
This is fast becoming one of my favorite reds in the annual release, this wine and the previous release being stellar; two great vintages and the wines reflect that. From the Marananga sub-region in the heart of the Barossa, the wine saw 16 months in a mix of French oak (18% new) and American hogsheads and puncheons (14% of the hogsheads new).
Purple-maroon, this is essence of Barossa Shiraz. Concentrated, balanced, and dense, yet the wine dances across the palate. Notes of chocolate, blueberries, mocha, coffee beans, spices, and black olives. Seamless in structure, with an alluring, supple texture, there is great intensity, serious length, and the silkiest of tannins. Everything is in place for this wine still to be thrilling in 20 years. | 96
Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 (A$130 / US$85/ £75)
Bin 407 remains my bad-penny wine. Every year, I hope that this will be the vintage that sees the scales fall from my eyes and reveals the glories that 407 seems to be able to offer to others. Never a bad wine, and I remember both 1990 (the first vintage) and 1996 as something out of the box, but it seems that every year I ask myself, why. Okay, selling truckloads at this price explains why, so perhaps the question should be why people are paying this much for a wine that is certainly inoffensive but hardly thrilling. A blend of Coonawarra, Padthaway, Wrattonbully, McLaren Vale, and Barossa Cabernet, which spent a year in French oak (25% new) and American oak hogsheads (11% new).
The color is a blend of maroon and bruised plum, while the nose, at this early stage, is still a little reticent. The oak is well-handled and there are aromas of various spices and herbs, with black fruits, licorice, and cold tea. Touches of chocolate, warm earth, and soy, but I have to wonder where the excitement is, especially when it is in such exalted company. Medium length at best, and one might query the balance. It goes without saying that others find far more to enjoy than I do. Perhaps next year? | 89
Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2022
(A$120 / US$78 / £70)
Yet another stunning 389, and brilliant value when compared to some of those in this Penfolds Collection. First made in 1960, Penfolds shows its consummate skill at blending regions and varieties with this wine. A blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon and 49% Shiraz, the vineyards are located in McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Barossa Valley, Padthaway, and Wrattonbully. The oak used here was American hogsheads, 36% new.
Maroon in color, we have notes of black olives, soy, blackberries, cassis, chocolate, tobacco leaves, cloves, and coffee beans. There is good complexity here, fine silky tannins, and very good persistence. There is a fine line of acidity, too. Expect this superb example of 389 to provide pleasure for eight to 15 years. | 95
St Henri Shiraz 2021
(A$135 / US$88 / £95)
Last release, I mentioned that, for me, a great vintage of St Henri is a thing of exquisite beauty, but that, while a fine wine, the 2020 was not a great St Henri. This release is most definitely a wine of exquisite beauty. 100% Shiraz from McLaren Vale and the Barossa—no Clare Valley material—it spent a year in large, seasoned oak vats. As always, the influence of oak is negligible.
Intensely dark purple, the wine is gorgeously aromatic, with florals, cassis, violets, plums, bergamot, and chocolate. There is focus and energy here, with early signs of the complexity that will surely build. Taut, structured, and with wonderful length, the wine finishes with such silky tannins. Espresso notes emerge on the palate. Regal. A fantastic St Henri, this will easily age and improve through the next 15 to 25 years. It joins vintages like 2010, 2016, and 2018 as something really rather special. | 97
Magill Estate Shiraz 2022
(A$165 / US$108 / £120)
The 2021 vintage was one of the finest examples of Magill Estate that Penfolds has ever released. And this 2022 tops even that. City vineyards are rare, but this ranks with the best (Haut-Brion might also deserve a nod.) The city of Adelaide grew up around the vineyard and winery. It is also, rare for Penfolds, a single-vineyard wine. First made in 1983, Penfolds persists with both French and American oak for maturation, all hogsheads, for a period of 18 months. 43% is new French, 36% is one-year-old French, and the remainder new American.
An opaque maroon color. The nose exhibits very clever oak integration, along with notes of chocolate, plums, tobacco leaves, mocha, and soy. This is a thrilling Magill, with at least 20 to 25 years of pleasure ahead of it. Exemplary structure, with a seductive texture, both focus and power, and yet revealing such finesse and elegance. Knife-edge balance, which never waivers. With time in the glass, the wine gives more spice notes, with a flick of pepper. Good extraction throughout, with a long and lingering finish, culminating in satiny tannins. Love this wine. | 98
Bin 169 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 (A$300 / US$196 / £160)
With the promise of complexity to come, this is further confirmation of the superb quality offered by the 2022 vintage in Coonawarra. Maturation is for 16 months in French oak hogsheads, 83% new, a considerably higher proportion than for the 2021. There is undoubtedly some nutmeggy oak evident at this early stage, but integration continues apace.
A beautifully constructed Coonawarra Cabernet, with blackberries, chocolate, aniseed, graphite, soy, cloves, a flick of vanilla, and bay leaves. Still very young, this is finely structured, impeccably balanced, and offers a persistent finish. There is a fine line of acidity running the length and the tannins are so silky that they are almost transparent. A wine of line and length. Everything is in place for this wine to continue to improve over the next two to three decades, though it is already an utterly entrancing drink. | 97
RWT Bin 798 Barossa Valley Shiraz 2022 (A$200 / US$130 / £125)
In years to come, wine lovers are going to have a great deal of fun comparing the elite Penfolds reds from the 2021 and 2022 vintages. Both are superb years (as they must be, to live up to the cavalcade of outrageously high scores littered upon them). With some of the wines, 2021 rules; others have seen 2022 take pride of place; still others are too close to call. RWT is one of those too close to call, but one thing seems certain—these are the two best wines we have seen under this label. The wine spent 14 months maturing in French oak hogsheads, 67% of which were new. Penfolds describes the color as “Barossa Noir”—make of that what you will.
This is, as it so often is, more refined and elegant than most of the other reds in the Penfolds stable, and certainly more so than most Barossa Shiraz. The oak here is superbly integrated. We have aromas of coffee beans, vanilla, plums, licorice, blackcurrants, and cassis. The structure gives us the slightest hints of austerity, while the wine seems a little more black-fruited than RWT usually is. Notes of bay leaves, axle grease, and spices emerge with time in the glass. There is juicy acidity here and sleek tannins. Amazing length rounds out a brilliant RWT, which must have at least 20 years ahead of it. Barossa Shiraz of such grace surely makes this a unicorn wine. | 98
Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 (A$800 / US$523 / £450)
Another release where it is simply too close to pick a winner between this wine and its predecessor. Cabernet from a range of regions—Coonawarra, Barossa, Padthaway, and McLaren Vale for this vintage—matured in American oak (a year and a half, all new, this time), this is not a common beast, but it has proved a highly successful one.
The color is a very dark maroon. Aromas weave a wonderful tapestry, with blackberries, licorice, axle grease, spices, coffee grinds, dark chocolate, soy, and mocha. An utterly sumptuous wine. There is a really vibrant black-cherry/cassis character running through, along with hints of delicatessen meats. Poised, taut, and with exemplary focus, balance, and intensity, there is great length, power, and yet, finesse. A truly superb 707, which finishes just as intensely as it started. It will reward long-term cellaring—20 to 30 years if one can be patient, or wishes to be remembered fondly by the grandkids. | 98
Grange 2020 (A$1,000 / US$653 / £600)
Like it or not, the annual Penfolds release is seen by many as the annual Grange and Others release. We have seen some truly stunning Granges this century (2002, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2016, and 2018). You have to wonder what happened in odd years, although next year’s 2021 should smash the trend. 2020? Undoubtedly a very good wine, even a very good Grange, but it is unlikely to be seen as one of the best. And in the company it keeps in this Penfolds Collection, it might be seen as a disappointment—something that would be utterly unfair.
As with 2019, it is 97% Shiraz and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. It had 20 months in new American oak hogsheads, a smidge more time than its predecessor. The fruit comes from McLaren Vale, the Barossa, and the Clare Valley. Unlike its predecessor, there are no Coonawarra grapes included this time.
A dark, inky maroon hue, this is ripe and richly flavored. It has the power and concentration we associate with Grange. There are spicy notes, with hints of black berries, chocolate, soy, aniseed, black olives, as well as concentrated, high-quality oak; cassis and mocha notes are to the fore. It is early days, but complexity is already evident here. Espresso and even darker chocolate flavors emerge with time in the glass. Good focus, very good length, and silky tannins all combine to ensure that this is a very good Grange. Fifteen to 20 years, perhaps longer in very good cellars. | 96
Bin 180 Coonawarra Cabernet Shiraz 2021 (A$1,180 / US$770 / £650; magnums A$3,500 / US$2,300; 3-liter Jeroboams A$18,000 / US$11,760)
An entirely fitting wine with which to celebrate Penfolds’ 180th anniversary. As well as standard bottles, 180 magnums and 8 Jeroboams are being released. Penfolds has made a wine reflecting the great Aussie red blend, sourced from Coonawarra from a truly great year in 2021. The split is 57% Cabernet and 43% Shiraz. The Cabernet is from its Block 10 and the Shiraz from Block 5. The vineyards providing the Cabernet consistently supply fruit to Bins 707 and 169. The wine spent 16 months in one-year-old French oak hogsheads. Anyone who finds themselves not completely convinced by the latest Grange should turn their attention to this wine. It will surely take its place among the great special releases from Penfolds.
A near-opaque purple-maroon. The nose is already providing noticeable complexity, with notes of black fruits, bergamot, licorice, cold tea, smoked meats, blueberries, and chocolate. Hints of tobacco leaves and mocha emerge with time in the glass. A sumptuous wine, deeply extracted but with such immaculate balance. Bright acidity, silky tannins, an alluring and persistent finish. This is a complete wine. A one-off release, which will provide immense pleasure for the next three decades. | 99
